The Magicians
by Ten Past Twelve
Summary: In the world created by the Kah-Gash, a new force is rising. The Reckoning seeks to defeat all who oppose it. One of those adversaries is the aloof Beranabus and his magical assistants. Rated for language and violence!
1. Introductions

**The Magician**

**A Demonata Fanfiction**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Demonata or the popular product Nestea. Although I do have a bottle of it at home. (That's the Nestea and not the Demonata)**

**Okay, this fic will be different from all others I have written for four totally different reasons;**

**Nicole has vehemently rejected it on numerous occasions (For all you dumbasses out there, it means she is never going to write a chapter related to this. Ever.)**

**It involves horrifically gory and bloody scenes with limbs flying everywhere (ie. Navigate away from this page if you are faint-hearted. The first scene is just a warmup- I repeat, JUST A WARMUP.)**

**Most chapters, not including this one, are told in the present tense (Mainly because the Shanster wrote the originals that way, and I just wouldn't be comfortable unless I conformed to the regulations.)**

**This book is set waaaaaay into the future. And if you're imagining flying cars and space ships, read Hell's Heroes, the epic finale of the Demonata Series by Darren Shan, and then come back to this, because you OBVIOUSLY haven't a clue about the setting here.**

**Now that all of those pesky morons out there have been sent packing, I present to you;**

**The Magician**

0

I've always lived a normal life. Until I turned ten. And all hell broke loose.

The party wasn't an especially big or extravagant one, because my parents weren't very rich, but it was a nice party. A very nice party. All of my best friends were there, Joe, Lenny, and Symon. It was based on superheroes, and so most of us had come to the room in costumes like Spiderman or Mr. Fantastic. I was one of the few who wore a normal outfit, and that's the only reason I can relate the story to you now.

You see, I was always... gifted. I could switch lights on without moving an inch, or turn acid into harmless water, or even better, Nestea. My friends never saw this as scary or something they should have avoided, and we never told or showed the grown-ups for fear of them taking away my power. But I feared my powers. With them, I could walk on the air and hollow caves in rock walls. But I could also control people, planting seeds of suggestion in their minds or outright forcing them to act on my will. At first, it was exciting. But soon it began to scare me.

So I was at my party, and we were playing Pass the Parcel. As the many layers of wrapping paper were torn off and thrown away, I sensed a presence. It was power similar to my own, only a lot weaker. Had I known what that power was capable of, I would have tried to stop it with all my will. Unfortunately, I only vaguely wondered what it was- but that was really only to be expected. How much foresight can you expect a ten-year-old to have?

Eventually, we got to the last layer of wrapping. It was in the hands of a boy named Mark Spencer, this guy in my class I didn't particularly like, but was a whiz at solving puzzles and whatnot. As he eagerly ripped off the paper, a bright light began to shine. Some inner voice in me told me to stay away from it, that it was bad, but, fool that I was, I edged closer to the parcel. Only to gasp as Marvin exploded and a strange panel of light took his place.

My gasp became a scream as what had happened finally sunk in and the kids nearest to him were showered in red stuff and guts. The adults were gabbling, horrified and the younger ones were crying in distress. Hell, so was I! The worst was yet to come, though, as we found when a _disgusting_ face pushed through the panel and surveyed the children. It had bright crimson eyes above two holes which I guessed made up it's nose. It's mouth was a single, rather forlorn slash filled with sharp, pointy teeth, and (luckily) it had no hair. As it emerged slowly out of the panel, more features appeared. It had at least six arms, all of which ended in hands that might have been crushed by the blunt edge of an axe, but with bright green bones and olive-coloured nails. I almost threw up when I saw that the red stuff dripping from his body wasn't sweat or even ketchup- it was _blood_! In fact, a lot of the kids already had puked, and the creature inhaled deeply, as if it was trying to suck in something more than air.

By the time I had noticed the other monsters, it was too late. While all of us had been mesmerised by the first demon, a huge gang of them had amassed inside the room, and the horrible thing was that we only noticed when one of them- a horrible beast that looked like a chicken expect with three pig's heads- suddenly spat acid at Joe. He fell to the floor, screaming, even as the acid ate through his skull and digested his brain. I looked away, disgusted, only to see another of my friends perish at the hands of the vile monsters, this one a strange mutant made out of slashing blades and scythes, which butchered poor Lenny faster than he could devour a hotdog. Soon every one of my pals and the adults had died, leaving me the only one standing.

At first I wondered why the creatures weren't attacking. One of them gave me the answer when it tried to charge me, only to bounce off an invisible barrier three metres away from me. It must have come into effect when I realised what a danger these monsters were! I smirked at the creatures, smug in my victory.

"Demonata, it would seem that we have found a new enemy. Do we kill him or leave him?" The first monster said, and I immediately associated it with a man's voice. Now that he had come closer, I could see more details. Rather than legs, he had several gruesome strips of flesh dangling from his waist, and his entire skin was covered in cuts and bruises which bled anew whenever he moved. I looked around wildly, trying to find the one he called Demonata. However, rather than just one reply, the creature received a whole cacophony of shrieks and whistles. "Very well, then, Arachnid. You live for now. But remember- when you take upon the mantle of a Disciple, you will have already acquired an enemy; in me. Farewell, Arachnid, and nice demon-hunting!" And with that, he floated back into the panel, closely followed by the other creatures.

0

Living a normal life is pretty hard when you were born with the ability to shapeshift. At first, I didn't think it was strange, but that was soon to change. When I was only two, I shocked the nurses at the orphanage- I didn't have any parents- by transforming into one of my playmates for a few seconds. They screamed and ran away, shouting about devils and demons. Even though they were sent to an asylum soon afterwards, the damage was done. You see, there were two people nearby, with powers very much like my own. Hearing what had happened, they stole into the orphanage a few days afterwards, took me and raised me as their own, to become a Disciple.

Of course, I was rebellious. My unique power allowed me to reach higher levels of intelligence than I should have been capable of at the age of two, and I was able to mimic their techniques and abilities, effectively rendering them useless against me. I could have quite easily escaped from the cave they called home, had it not been for one thing. I knew I was needed. Unlike most toddlers, I could comprehend the idea of galaxies flying around above us, and I could understand the concepts of love, hate, and war. Most of all, I understood the threat that the horrifying Demonata poised to humanity, and the simple fact that the Kah-Gash wasn't really helping anybody.

From a young age, I was taught about the Kah-Gash. It was essentially a trio of gods that could warp the fabric of space-time and bring the dead back to life. Their names were long forgotten, but their deeds were not. In a time of great peril for all life but the cruel Demonata, the members of the Kah-Gash reversed time to a point where almost nothing existed but the Demonata and strange balls of light called the Old Ones- and restarted the universe, except with certain precautions and whatnot that would prevent the same thing from ever happening again. Then they retreated to some place, never to be seen again.

At least, that was what everyone thought. But recently, the two magicians that abducted me- a man named Beranabus and his assistant, Kernel- have found that the Kah-Gash was still running around the universe, 'keeping the balance' by destroying planets and reviving the immensely powerful demon masters of old. And that's where I come in. A while back, Beranabus had discovered the existence of a powerful group of beings that were really archangels and devil lords compared to humans and demons. The group called themselves the Reckoning, and they were born to lead the many races of the universe to an eternal victory against the demons and the Kah-Gash. Already they had converted a large number of alien species, but the few humans who the Reckoning had contacted were solidly resisting the call, stating that everything existed for a reason, and even if the Demonata were actively trying to eliminate all life, humanity had pulled through well enough, and it wasn't really their problem if Pluto exploded, or some distant solar system collapsed. So now the Reckoning is at war with us. Oops.

This is where I come in. Ever since Beranabus has known about the Reckoning situation, he's been searching for people with unique and deadly talents who can help us win the war and defeat the Reckoning. Like me.

0

**Okay... so I admit that it's a little weird for a first chapter. But things shall unravel! And we do see some actual action in the next chapter.**


	2. Angel

**The Magician**

**A Demonata Fanfiction**

**Disclaimer; I do not own the Demonata series. Now go away if you only came here to sue me.**

**In this chapter, we see a blatant change of scenery. Don't ask me how, where, when or why, just read it.**

0

A haunting melody fills the air as Beranabus and I claw through a pair of weather-beaten trash cans for scraps of food. So far, all we've come up with is half a plate of cold sausages and an almost-empty carton of orange juice. We try to avoid shops and restaurants as much as possible, since we can't be sure that the Reckoning isn't tracking us like it's tracking Nadia and a few of the others. We travel by night, and hole up in abandoned flats or barns- depending on where we are at the time- during the day. Right now we're stuck in some small town down in South England, waiting out a freak blizzard so that we can continue on our desperate search of Britain.

"Beranabus, are you sure that there's something here?" Kernel complains.

"I wouldn't stake my life on it, but there's certainly magic in the air."

"Last time you said that, a piano almost hit you," I note dryly.

"That was a coincidence!" As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he stiffens and turns to the east- to a squat concrete building that looks about two stories tall. It's the source of the scary music, and I shake my head behind the old magician. Kernel sees me and stifles a chuckle, knowing what's going to come next.

"Can I help you, sir?" I've transformed into a barmaid that I'd glimpsed through a window earlier on in the day.

"Nice try, Salviar, but you need to look out." Confused, I turn around, and come face to face with the girl who's body I'm wearing. The two of us scream simultaneously, and the girl faints.

0

A few hours later, the four of us- me, Beranabus, Kernel, and the barmaid- are sitting in a booth in the building. At first, Beranabus objected, but both Kernel and I were sick of rooting through garbage for food and he grudgingly gave in. Personally, I think he was sick of it too. The girl has woken up, and she's trying to interrogate Beranabus about me.

"Who- what- is that boy?"

"We're magicians. Creatures of magic." After trying (unsuccessfully) to hide the truth from the girl, Beranabus has since stuck to repeating himself stoically as the girl- who calls herself Angel- recovers from a bout of hysteria.

A drop of sweat falls from my left ear as I'm fanning myself with the menu. The heat is stifling, but neither Kernel nor Angel have commented on it, so I assume that it's normal. Wrong.

0

A nightmarish creature vaults over the dumpster I'm using as a fort and scans the area, not noticing me, directly behind it. It has four eyes, each one a vivid, polluted green. It seems to have scales for skin, but they're hard enough to resist sword blades and dynamite. It has four tentacles sticking out of it's bladed shoulders, each one oozing pus and blood. A wicked blade tips each of them. Rather than legs, this monster uses two pairs of tentacles to walk. They're thinner than the arms, but are covered in metallic spines that I've seen tear into car doors with ease. It's head is the most beastly part. Other than the eyes, it resembles a shark's head, complete with gills, except that it's teeth glint like razors and are too jagged to belong in Earth's oceans. Safe in my dumpster, I charge up a ball of magical energy and prepare to throw it at my foe. Perhaps the creature senses the magical buildup, or maybe it had seen me when it leapt over me, but it swivels on a hundred and eighty degree turn and roars, a blatant threat to me. I produce a roar of my own, using magic to amplify my voice, and the creature is thrown backwards five or six metres by the sheer force of it. It shakes it's shark-like head and slashes at me with a tentacle. Luckily, it misses, but the blade mounted on it opens up a magnificent gash in the green plastic of the dumpster. I react quickly to the attack, shoving my hands through the new hole and releasing my energy ball. It strikes the creature dead-on, but does little except severe on of it's arm-tentacles. Electric blue blood pumps out of the wound, and I watch, gruesomely fascinated, as the substance slowly congeals- into a perfect replica of the bladed appendage now thrashing around on the floor. The creature seems to smirk, and throws itself at me.

0

"How did a tunnel form so quickly?" I yell as we race down the street, having left Angel in the inn.

Beranabus, levitating beside me and Kernel, shakes his head. "I'm not sure. It could be the work of Lord Loss, but..."

We're interrupted by a horrifying scene- a teenage boy dodging the furious lashes of a shark-headed demon with four bladed tentacles for arms. As we stare at the fight, a tentacle catches the boy on the hands, and a finger drops from it. Surprisingly, the boy ignores his missing finger, instead catching the demon a blow in the chest. While it's stunned, he lifts his injured arm at the demon and opens his mouth. I can't hear the word over the chaos around us, but it looks like he said 'bam'. Appropriate, because as he says it, a magical bullet soars from the stump where his finger once was, and strikes the demon in the chest, evaporating it's torso in an instant. The tentacles and head drop to the floor, still alive, and the sight brings Beranabus to his senses. Muttering a word of magic, he waves his hand imperiously over the body parts and they burst into green flames. The boy, too, mutters a word and a new finger pushes out of the remains of the old one, and the blood fades away. He takes one last look at us, then bolts.

0

The monster is stronger than I think. Now I'm reduced to anticipating and avoiding it's attacks as they come- luckily, I'm good at that. A blade grazes my shirt, and I feel a sticky warmth on my side. Chancing a quick look, I see that a red stain is slowly growing on my shirt. I channel some magic from my hands into the wound, and soon the cut is no more. A vicious blow hits me on the arm, taking my middle finger. Though the pain is agonizing, I see that the creature has let it's guard down for a second and take the opportunity, lunging with my good fist and smashing into it's skull. Before it can react, I aim my wounded hand at it's chest, concentrate on what I want to happen, and say the word.

"Bam!" I shout, suddenly aware of an audience- an old man and two boys a year or two older than me are staring openmouthed at the magical sphere of energy as it pummels the beast's torso, the power annihilating it. As slightly burnt body parts drop to the floor, I check my body over. Nothing lasting- maybe a scratch or two, and the creature doesn't _seem_ to be poisonous, so that's okay. I heal them anyway, just to prevent infection, and turn my attention to the people who'd been watching at least part of my fight against the monster. Emerald flames are leaping next to the old man, burning the body of the dead beast- a good idea, considering it's healing power. I suddenly realise that the people are still staring at me, so I say one last spell before turning tail and using magic to speed away.

0

"That boy just took down a demon _master_ without any help. How?" shouted Beranabus, frustrated with the elusive answer.

Angel tries to calm him down. "Maybe he had some help?"

Of course, Kernel disagrees with her. "Nah. The guy's a magician, through and through. He might even be stronger than Beranabus!"

"Good point," I say.

Beranabus snorts loudly, attracting the attention of several other customers- we've moved out of the booth, just in case some more demons come through the tunnel. "I doubt it. I'm only so powerful because-" He suddenly stops, and I guess that he was on the verge of telling us The Secret. Kernel and I don't know what it is, only that it exists. We used to continually ask him what it was, but he wouldn't budge. Obviously, Angel hadn't been in the cave for all those years, so...

"Because what?"

All of the windows in the inn shatter at the same time, sparing Beranabus the need to reply. A demon leaps through one of the frames. It looks vaguely humanoid, but with mainly wolfish features and scary yellow eyes. It's skin is pockmarked and parts of it are covered in fur, especially on it's back. A low growl erupts from it's throat, and the lights suddenly flicker off. _Then _the people start screaming.

0

**Like it? If you're an advocate of the Demonata because of the horrifying deaths and torture in it, don't worry! The next chapter has arguably one of the most gruesome murders written involving the Demonata. If you don't quite like such happenings... try reading the next chapter with your eyes shut, eh?**


End file.
